3 times developing a heel persona worked for UFC fighters and 2 times it didn't

#4. Didn't: Tony Kelley's heel turn

Current UFC bantamweight Tony Kelley is a controversial character. Kelley was a fighter of no renown. That was until he lost to Adrian Yanez at the UFC on ESPN card headlined by Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett.

Kelley was an 8-2 bantamweight fresh off a TKO win over the power-punching Randy Costa, a mutual opponent of his next foe, Adrian Yanez. When Kelley cornered girlfriend and UFC flyweight Andrea Lee on a previous ESPN card, the Louisiana native made headlines for his comments between rounds.

When referring to Lee's Brazilian foe Viviane Araújo, he described Brazilians in general in less-than-flattering terms. He suggested that Brazilians have a natural compulsion to cheat. He called them "dirty" in what was certainly a moment he didn't expect the cameraman to catch.

In the aftermath of the bout, the Team Alpha Male fighter was widely chastised for his comments. When asked to address them, he was largely unapologetic, insisting there were no racial connotations. He said people were eager to be victims. He was only sorry that people got their feelings hurt, not that he had said something offensive.

He further claimed he was merely a victim of cancel culture. He said he hates everyone equally, having nothing against Brazilians.

Kelley tried to capitalize on the newfound attention he garnered. He flipped off the Texan crowd during his walkout for his bout with Adrian Yanez. A chorus of boos greeted him. He even attempted to trash talk his foe during their fight. Kelley, however, was on the receiving end of a brutal TKO. That stopped his heel train before it could ever truly take off.

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#3. Did: Colby Covington's heel turn

Before his lifechanging bout with Demian Maia in Brazil, Colby Covington was a surging welterweight contender. He was 12-1 in his MMA career. Despite the win streak he'd managed, he was on the verge of being cut from the UFC. In his words, the promotion saw a lack of fan interest in both his fighting style and character.

There was little that Covington — a lifelong wrestler — could or was willing to do to render his fighting style more exciting. He chose to adopt a heel persona to make himself as controversial as possible.

Covington is now known as 'Chaos' due, in part, to the chaotic striking he uses to overwhelm his foes with volume and create openings for his takedowns. The former interim UFC welterweight champion cut an infamous promo after defeating hometown hero Demian Maia in São Paulo, Brazil.

Covington received boos, antagonistic chants, and what he described as disrespectful treatment. He laid into the Brazilian crowd in his post-fight interview, describing the entire country as a dump before calling them filthy animals. It was the birth of his chaotic heel persona. The controversy he generated granted him a deep level of notoriety matched by almost no other UFC fighter.

Covington has since gone on the offensive against everyone. He verbally tears down opponents, potential foes, media personalities, celebrities, and even fighters with whom he'll never fight.

While he never managed to become the undisputed UFC welterweight champion, 'Chaos' did become a relatively big draw. His rematch with Kamaru Usman at UFC 268 drew 700,000 PPV buys. It was on the same night Canelo Alvarez fought Caleb Plant in an event that drew 800,000 PPV buys.

Covington's most recent UFC fight with former friend Jorge Masvidal led to UFC 272 having the highest gate of any UFC event this year.